An apparatus is provided for monitoring a high-voltage on-board power supply system of an electrically operated vehicle for the occurrence of overloading, wherein the high-voltage on-board power supply system includes as components one or more energy sources and/or one or more energy sinks which are each connected via a conductor line arrangement to a first supply potential line and to a second supply potential line. Each of the components is assigned a current sensor which is designed to detect a current flowing through the respective component and to transmit information representing the level of the current to an evaluation unit for evaluation. The evaluation unit is designed to compare the current with a first current threshold and a second current threshold and to output a switch-off signal at least for the component assigned to the current sensor if, as a first criterion, the level of the current and the duration of the level of the current are between the first and second current thresholds.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A system, comprising: a high-voltage vehicle power supply system of an electrically operable vehicle, the high-voltage vehicle power supply system operating between 48 and 400 volts and having the following components electrically connected via power supply lines: one or more energy sources and/or energy sinks having fusible links connected via respective lines of a conductor run arrangement to the power supply lines, a vehicle storage battery, and drive motor control electronics; and a monitoring apparatus, comprising: at least one current sensor, wherein each current sensor is associated with a respective component of the high-voltage vehicle power supply system, and wherein each current sensor is configured to measure and transmit current-level-over-time data reflective of a respective current level of a respective current flowing through the respective component; and an evaluation unit, configured to: receive the current-level-over-time data, compare the current-level-over-time data with a first current-level-over-time threshold and a second current-level-over-time threshold, and output a disconnection signal electrically disconnecting the respective component when, as a first criterion, the respective current is between the first and second current-level-over-time thresholds.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first current-level-over-time threshold is represented in a current/time graph by a prescribed first characteristic curve that has a first section having a first, higher current level from a first time to a second time and a second section having a second, comparatively lower current level from the second time.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the evaluation unit is further configured to compare the respective current with a third current-level-over-time threshold and to output the disconnection signal at least for the respective component associated with each of the at least one current sensor when, as a second criterion, the respective current is between the second and third current-level-over-time thresholds.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the high voltage vehicle power supply system further comprises a disconnection device that isolates current sources from first and second supply potential lines using a tripping signal, wherein the disconnection device is further configured to generate the tripping signal in the event of an acceleration, ascertained by a sensor, exceeding a prescribed limit, and wherein the disconnection signal output by the evaluation unit is supplied to an energy source or an energy sink of the one or more energy sources and/or energy sinks as a tripping signal.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the conductor run arrangement has one or more fusible links provided in it, wherein each fusible link, when a prescribed current that is larger than the second current-level-over-time threshold is exceeded in the conductor run section in which the relevant fusible link is arranged, trips to protect each of the respective components connected to the conductor run.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the respective components has an associated fusible link.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein multiple respective components have an associated shared fusible link.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the respective components has a separate associated current sensor.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein multiple respective components share an associated current sensor.
10. The system of claim 2 , wherein the second current-level-over-time threshold is represented in the current/time graph by a temperature-dependent, nonlinear family of characteristic curves that has a substantially exponentially falling profile.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein each current level of the second current-level-over-time threshold at any time is larger than each current level of the first current threshold at any given time.
12. The system of claim 3 , wherein the third current-level-over-time threshold is represented in a current/time graph by a temperature-dependent, nonlinear characteristic curve that has a substantially exponentially falling profile and corresponds to a line characteristic curve.
13. The system of claim 3 , wherein the evaluation unit is further configured to output the disconnection signal only when a third criterion satisfied is a prescribed period since an onset of the first and/or second criterion.
14. The system of claim 3 , wherein the evaluation unit is further configured to output a diagnosis or fault signal when the first and/or second criterion is satisfied.
15. The system of claim 3 , further comprising: a memory, and wherein the evaluation unit is further configured to store one or more of the following pieces of information in the memory at an onset of the first and/or second criterion: an identifier of the at least one current sensor that has registered an increased current exceeding the first current-level-over-time threshold, the respective current level, and a period of occurrence of the increased current.
16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the prescribed period is dependent on the respective current level.
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January 27, 2017
July 7, 2020
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